There Is No Spark Of Interest
by ScribeAnimal
Summary: Harriet sees another opportunity to "match-make" and Liandra is having none of it.
1. Chapter 1

"There Is No Spark Of Interest"

Author: Haruo Chikamori

E-mail: hhchikamori

Rating: M

Classification: Romance, Harm/Mac; Animal/Lia

Spoilers: N/A

Summary: Harriet sees another opportunity to "match-make" and Liandra is having none of it.

DISCLAIMER: The characters Harm Rabb, Jr., Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie, Meg Austin, AJ Chegwidden, Bud Roberts, Harriet Sims-Roberts et al. belong (in concept if not name) to CBS/Bellisarius. Animal and all OC characters are the property of Heather and Hugo Chikamori. No profit is being made from this story, nor is any infringement intended.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA**_

"The Emmonds case is going to be a time-intensive case as AT2 Curtis Emmonds is charged with Article 87, Missing Movement. AT2 Emmonds is currently in the brig at Naval Station Norfolk. Lieutenant Commander Gracen, you have the defense, Lieutenant Commander Rabb, you have the prosecution."

Lieutenant Commander Liandra Gracen looked up at Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden, who grinned back at her with an _I'm waiting_ posture. "Yes, sir?"

"Isn't this where you usually say I'm going to mop the floor with you, Rabb?" AJ continued to hold her gaze with that grin.

Lia inwardly cringed. "No, sir; not after the last case we had where he proceeded to thoroughly demolish what defense I had left. This time, I'm not giving him any ammunition." She proceeded to demurely fold her hands and look up innocently at Harm who appeared to be preening. Major Sarah Mackenzie was quietly trying not to laugh. The rest of the morning briefing went without further amusement as the new cases were handed out.

As they exited the board-room and were returning to their respective offices, Harm turned to Lia. "Hey, Lia, did you have anything planned tonight because if you did, I could delay the interviews until tomorrow." His eyes searched out hers as he questioned her. She looked at him with one raised eyebrow as if in query.

"Harm, you know my plans tonight are a good book, a warm tub and a warm bed."

"With someone else in it?" Harm winked at her then said "OW!" …as Mac jabbed an elbow into Harm's ribs.

"No, sorrowfully." Lia said with no amount of snark. "It's nice and quiet in my humble abode. And unfortunately, I have no personal plans of that nature…unfortunately." She stated the last again. Harm's jaw dropped as Lia winked at him and appeared to sashay into her office and closed the door in his face.

_**Pentagon, CNO's Office, Washington, DC**_

Captain Toshio "Animal" Nakamura, dressed in US Navy blues all four new stripes on his sleeves, sat restlessly in a chair waiting for the appointment to see the Chief of Naval Operations. Other navy officers passed him by with cursory glance at his ribbon rack. He could feel their gazes on him as their eyes took in the topmost ribbon and the customary look of shock. Not very many officers at the fumble fortress wore that ribbon and the fact that one of them did was a source of no amount of respect and envy. They also tried to stay the hell out of his way. It almost felt as if he was deified or was some sort of contagion.

He personally was getting sick and disgusted with the hero treatment. He wanted to be treated like a normal human being. Not only had the CNO, the last time they met, taken away his squadron, the CNO had pointed out that Animal was a live hero and that he should be out doing the talk show circuit to publicize his Medal of Honor. Animal, however, had heard from other recipients that the Medal of Honor turned into a dog and pony show if the tabloids and talk show circuit got their teeth into it and for the sanctity of the Medal, he refused. In his heart he felt that this wasn't right. Heroes were supposed to lead from the front, not be relegated to the rear into safe and cushy media roles. It was exactly that kind of treatment that fostered resentment from those who put their lives on the line.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA**_

"Harm, do you have to keep teasing her like that?" Mac said with a rather annoyed look on her face.

Suddenly the door opened and Lia came out, Navy combo cap in hand. "So…flyboy, are we going?" Her demeanor was naughty.

"What?" Harm looked at her with a confused expression.

"To interview the witness? Commander? Time's a wastin'." Liandra tossed back. "If I'm not going to miss my warm bath and a nice book to curl up with tonight, I'm going down to start my defense interviews now. Whether you come along is up to you." She curled a finger suggestively, stood in a way that made her hip stick out and gave him a come-hither look. Mac nearly choked on her inhale resisting the urge to laugh her head off. And Harm looked like he got beaned in the head by a bag of cement.

"She got you there…Harm." Mac pointed out with no small amount of amusement.

Harm shot a look of annoyance at Mac. "Oh, laugh it up, Jarhead."

"So?" Lia gave him some more snark. "Flyboy… You comin'?" That did it for Mac, she burst out laughing.

_**Pentagon, CNO's Office, Washington, DC**_

The CNO's yeoman gave Animal a look. "Captain Nakamura?" she queried.

"Yes?" Animal replied returning the look.

"The CNO will see you now."

Animal got up, practically freaking out a few O-3s sitting near by who had their eyes locked on his ribbon rack. They had been looking nervously at him for the past ten minutes and each time he shifted position in his chair, they had looked like they were about ready to jump out of their skins. It was tempting to shift position to glare at them and go 'BOO!' just to see if they would jump out of their seats, try to go in opposite directions and collide with one another much like comedic characters on cartoons he had watched when he was an innocent kid, such a long, long time ago. But he resisted the urge to do so and simply got up brushed his uniform off and strode to the CNO's office door; coming to a stop in front of the closed door, pounded the pine twice.

"Enter!" the CNO's voice sounded from the inside.

"Captain Toshio Nakamura, reporting as ordered, sir." Animal said as he strode in, stopping three paces from the desk and snapping to attention.

"Morning, Animal." The CNO said. Admiral Stephen Kasczanowski grinned at him. He was a surface warfare officer, three decades of service, serving first under tin cans (destroyers) then moving up the warfare line to guided missile cruisers. Two warriors recognized each other.

"Morning, Admiral." A well known but dangerous wit in uniform once said that the CNO and him knew each other by first names – that the CNO called him Dick and he called the CNO "Admiral". That was truly the case. Animal wouldn't dare to call Admiral Kascanowski by the name Steve. He was Admiral and that was all that Animal was going to call him.

"Thanks for coming in today." The CNO stated as he turned around to grab a folder from the mound that inhabited his desk. "One of the things that I need since you are working for the Navy Inspector General's office is a liaison with the Judge Advocate General's office. Animal raised an eyebrow at that. "What we need to do is find out how the JAG office is running, how efficiently and whether or not we have to make changes there or not. It is almost budget reading time for the Navy Department and the SecNav will require information from them. It is your job being as now you're under COMNAVINSGEN. I want you to get a complete report out of them. They're routinely late."

"Aye, sir." Animal's displeasure was palpable. He wanted back on the front lines.

The CNO sighed. "Sit down. Animal…" He looked Animal in the eye and stated firmly. "You're aware that we can't lose Medal of Honor recipients in combat. Nor can we assign them to dangerous roles that could potentially get them killed. That's why you're not flying. So in order to keep you in for your full twenty-five that would give you your pension let alone thirty years, we had to find someplace to put you. Now look, the promotion boards are coming up. You've had no dings against your service record, you've got a blue-button that puts major points on your file towards the next grade and there's a good possibility that you will skip commodore-rear admiral lower half and go to two-stars inside of the next promotion cycle. So the choice is up to you, Animal, whether you sit for those two years until the next promotion cycle disgruntled as hell or working at a posting that will benefit the Navy." He lifted his hands palms out, fingers aimed at Animal. "It's all up to you."

Animal nodded. "You really think I'm going to hit rear admiral upper half?" his voice was rather disbelieving.

"Steak dinner at The Capital Grille says you do." CNO grinned back at him.

"You're on!" Animal replied.

"Well…be prepared to lose that bet in two years, Captain." ADM Kascanowski grinned back at him. "Ah…nothing like a 24 oz. Porterhouse Steak." He gloated.

"Well, we'll see who wins that bet, sir." Animal shot back.

ADM Kascanowski grinned back at him and laughingly said. "Dismissed."

"Aye, sir!"

_**Brig, Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, VA 1500hrs**_

"Harm, he said he missed movement because his wife was giving birth." Lia said as she walked out with him back to the car.

"If that's the case, that'd be the 4th baby she's had in three years. I think we need to check this out with the BuPERS and see if his spouse has had any hospitalizations relating to pregnancy."

"So you're going for prosecution based on implied fallacy?" Lia asked.

"Not so quickly." Harm grinned back at a fuming Liandra. "I'm not giving away my strategy. You gotta work for it in court."

"Oh…ha ha… very funny." Liandra said

"I'm a really funny guy." Harm gave her his best grin.

"If that's the case, I wouldn't quit your day job…" Lia shot back as they returned to their Navy Crown Victoria.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA 1745hrs**_

Walking back through the double doors of the JAG office, Harm and Liandra both tossed their briefcases in their respective offices. Mac was still there diligently going over her own case.

"Hey, Mac…busy?" Harm grinned.

"Yeah…" Mac looked up at him. "So what's new…on the case I mean. Did you two go interview your witness?"

"Yeah. But more problems are popping up. Other than that I can't say." Harm shrugged his shoulders. "You hungry?"

"Yeah…my stomach told me that it wanted food twenty minutes and fifteen seconds ago." Mac said lightly. "So, I think I'm going to wrap this up and take this case home."

"Care for some company?" Harm asked.

"Harm…" Mac laughed. "You've got a case going on. I've got a hell of one too so I think we'd better both take a rain-check on it."

"All right…" Harm sounded disappointed. "I guess it's me…AND…a BOOK!" he said loud enough so Liandra could hear. He muttered audibly. "I guess I'm going home too…to an empty abode and a book…and maybe a pizza. Vegetarian. Either one of you is welcome to visit though."

"Nope…too busy." Mac said snidely exploding Harm's hopes for a _tete a tete_ of bouncing case ideas off each other.

"Sorry, Harm. But I'm not skipping my bath…and I'm washing my hair tonight." Lia replied with no small amount of playful snark. The age-old excuse of "I'm washing my hair" to get out of any sort of dating.

Harm just shook his head. That implied visual would keep him planted to his seat for the next hour and a half as both visions of Mac and Lia doing exactly that would run laps through his brain. As both beautiful women packed up their case files and exited the JAG office. "damn!" he muttered to himself. Maybe he could get out of the office without everyone calling him Lieutenant Commander Log tomorrow.

How did RADM Chegwidden find these JAG lawyers he wondered? When he was told he was pairing up with a Marine as a legal partner, he pictured – big mean He-Marine with huge muscles, spoke in grunts, a tattoo, high and tight and a mean disposition who would turn other defendants into a pretzel if they didn't admit that they had committed the crime. What he got was a curvaceous vision; a brunette with large brown eyes, a tattoo she wouldn't disclose the location of, and a mean disposition when she was riled up. That was quite a comforting thought compared to his original vision. And Liandra, she was a redhead with blue eyes, a striking heart shaped face and a smart-ass personality. Considering his last partner was a blonde with blue eyes and a great attitude, he was batting four for four, if one counted Kate Pike. And if he didn't stop thinking about them in that way, he'd end up being Article 133'd.

Finally, he just shook his head, grabbed his briefcase, gathered up his files into the briefcase and went home…to his lonely abode.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 0700hrs**_

"Good morning". A grim-faced Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden announced in the morning briefing. All eyes focused on him. "The shit has just hit the fan." He paused for a long moment as he looked at each one of the JAG lawyers. Everyone from Mattoni all the way down to Rabb looked up. "An emissary from the Naval Inspector General's office is here to do a one on one with each and every one of you. And unfortunately there is no way to beg off."

"Sir?" Lieutenant JG Bud Roberts asked. "The Inspector General's office…why that's only when something is seriously wrong…they're called in…what could be wrong in the JAG office, sir?" his voice rose to something kin to panic.

"I don't know, but I certainly intend to find out." The door opened and a harsh voice was heard. All eyes turned towards the _emissary_ from NAVINSGEN who gazed back at them impassively. Their eyes turned towards his ribbon rack as AJ rose from his seat

"Captain…" AJ acknowledged gazing at the lower-ranking officer. As they were indoors, it was impolite to salute. Harm followed the eyes to meet up with someone from his past. His eyes then followed down to see a blue ribbon festooned with white stars in an M shape. This was no pencil-pushing rear echelon type. That was why AJ had risen. Everyone else rose to their feet.

"Admiral. The rest of you; as you were." The Naval Inspector General's inspecting officer stated as he looked over at the rest of the group. "I'm going to make this as painless as possible. But I am going to have to speak with each and every one of you individually. So…be that as it may. I intend to make this quick and be out of your hair in a short amount of time."

The lawyers all looked at each other. AJ was right. The shit was going to hit the fan.


	2. Chapter 2

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 0710hrs**_

The JAG officers looked at each other. This was a short yet imposing figure: Medal of Honor, Naval Aviator Wings. This did not look good. "Captain Toshio Nakamura, Naval Inspector General, lead investigator. First of all we will be conducting a financial audit into the Judge Advocate General's office. This is to ensure that there are no discrepancies between what was listed on the application forms for recompense through the FMO. Then there are other matters that require going over, comfort and efficiency, etc. I'm sure that this office has everything in order; however I still have to check matters. CNO's orders." The captain's tone was somber.

"I'm sure you will…" Chegwidden replied, his eyes boring holes in the captain, his sardonic tone not lost on the captain.

"Sir, I'm just here trying to do my job and get back to active duty." Animal said, the bitterness in his voice apparent challenging the acerbic tone that AJ was using on him. "That's if they ever let me in command of a carrier battle group." AJ nodded, as he got up and the rest of the JAG officers dispersed. Animal let out a deep sigh. "Great…" he muttered to himself as he got his own briefcase out and settled down to read some of the reports that were circulating about the JAG office. "I'm really making friends and influencing people here."

"It's not that bad…" he heard a familiar voice. "Good to see you here, sir." Animal turned to find Harmon Rabb looking down at him from his six foot four inch height.

"Really?" Animal retorted. "Harm, I'm already being treated like a pariah. If the Medal didn't make people flip out and run for the nearest cover; I'm treated like someone with a terminal contagion."

"Well, Animal, nobody expects an Inspector General's Office inspection." Harm said shrugging his shoulders.

His comment warranted a Monty Python response and Animal didn't fail: "No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition." Animal asked, one corner of his mouth turned upwards in a half-smile, his tone still cutting.

"Needless to say, your demeanor looked much like that of an undertaker and that's not bound to win many friends here in this office." Harm quipped with some amusement "You look like an undertaker and everyone's going to go 'oh shit' and make a bee-line for the door."

Animal shrugged. "I guess I'd better make the best of it." He turned to Harm and said. "So who do I talk to about the financial audit?"

"I'll give you a hand with this. My cases are rather light this week, so I'll just guide you around when I'm not in court." Harm replied.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 0840hrs**_

LN2 Angela Rodriguez smiled at Animal. "These are the financial statements and reports for the fiscal year ending 1998, sir." She handed Animal a large binder as Animal's eyes widened as to the size of these things. He was unaware of just how much financial crap that he was going to have to go through.

"Thank you, Legalman Two." Animal responded. "Harm, we got an empty boardroom or an office that we can go and check this binder out?"

The younger officer turned to give him a grin, "I've got just the place. We can go to the law library here and sit down at a desk and review those financials there." Harm said as he moved down the hallway towards the mentioned location. "We won't be disturbed there. I'll ask Bud to help us with the financials, because he's quite the bean-counter type." As the two walked through the bullpen, Harm accosted his friend "Hey, Bud, can you give us a hand with this?"

"Of course, sir." Bud, as usual, eager to please, fell into step behind both the captain and the lieutenant commander. Although he looked warily at the Navy captain, who in his eyes was there to disrupt the ebb and flow of the JAG office, he accompanied at the lieutenant commander's request.

Over the next three and a half hours they went through every single detail that could be gone over. "Lieutenant junior grade; tell me why there's significant increases in the outside accommodations for the month of September?" Animal said pointedly when he saw the accommodations amounts for both August and October.

"There was a lot of investigations that had to be done outside of the DC area, sir, and that involved investigators requiring accommodation in some place other than on-base, sir." Lieutenant JG Bud Roberts replied to Animal's query.

"So you are telling me that they had to use accommodation other than at the VOQ when a VOQ was available?"

"Sir, Lieutenant Commander Mattoni had to investigate a DUI involving a Navy rating running over a civilian in Indiana. The Navy rating worked out of Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in Crane, Indiana. Sir." Bud replied looking at Animal.

Animal then replied. "And he could not find a visiting officer's quarters at NSA Crane? Lieutenant, that base is one of the biggest bases in the United States Navy."

"Sir…that base is one of the black bases in the United States Navy, sir. Visiting officers are not allowed to stay on base as it is classified top secret." Bud replied.

"OK…" Animal replied. He knew exactly what NSA Crane conducted there. He just wanted to know if Bud would violate security clearance. Bud didn't; so Animal was satisfied there. He nodded to the lieutenant to continue with the rest of the items on the list that were of concern.

Bud's eyes alternated from Harm to Animal seeing both of their aviator wings. His mind was going a mile a minute trying to ascertain why another aviator would be stuck in a staff position.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1145hrs**_

After a 3 hour jam-session with the accounts folder, the three officers came out of the law library a bit more frazzled than when they went in. Stomachs were growling as they came into the bullpen. Eyes peered out of the offices.

"I'm hungry." Harm said. "How about you?" He looked at Animal and asked.

"I'm sure I could do with something to eat." Animal replied. The conversational tone did not escape others in the bullpen who were sure something was up.

As Harm walked past, Liandra stage-whispered to Mac, "Why's he going out for lunch with the Naval Inspector General's stooge?" Mac winced. Animal chose to ignore it. He knew exactly what was thought about him around the JAG office, the atmosphere was tense enough even a stone could pick up on it.

Harm whirled on her. "Lieutenant Commander?" he said, his tone frosty. "My office, now." Lia walked into Harm's office. Harm shut the door and looked at Lia. "Lieutenant Commander Gracen? The Naval Inspector General's stooge as you so callously referred to him is my former Reserve Air Group instructor who instructed me on how to fly and fight in the F-14 Tomcat. He was my flight instructor after LCDR Gary Hochhausen. Did you perhaps notice that ribbon he wears?"

"Yes, Commander." Lia replied, suitably chastised. "I was wrong, Commander, you were not cozying up to the Captain, you were just asking a friend to lunch."

"That's correct, Lieutenant Commander Gracen. And you will from now on treat the captain with the utmost of respect. As it stands you are drawing very close to an Article 89. Considering how much work you put into your law degree, it would be very unfortunate to lose your JAG commission based on spite." Harm snapped out at Lia. "He did not earn that blue button without some sacrifice."

_I'll treat him with respect, but I'll be damned if I like him._ Lia thought to herself as she stood at the position of attention.

There was a knock on the door. Harm opened it. Animal poked his head in. "Hey, Harm, are we still going to lunch? I have to start person to person interviews after lunch."

"Well, I have a candidate who just volunteered to be first in line." Harm smirked evilly. "Lieutenant Commander Liandra Gracen, meet Captain Toshio Nakamura." If looks could kill, Harm would have been fried instantly as Liandra glared daggers at Harm…

And said frostily. "I'll see you after lunch, sir." To Animal as she retreated from the room.

As both officers gazed at Lia's quickly receding back, Harm quipped. "I think she likes you." He grinned at Animal.

"Oh, really? Then I'm sure I could get an ice-cube to marry me." Animal retorted. "Let's go get lunch, I'm hungry."

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1200hrs**_

"So, tail feathers suitably singed?" Mac asked Lia.

"Yes, completely charred and on top of that to rub salt in the wound." Lia fumed. "I get to go first with that Navy captain on the personal interviews." She paced around Mac's office. "I can't believe it. Harm dressed me down like an Academy plebe."

"Well, the Captain did merit the Medal of Honor. Did you ever see his award citation?" Mac asked as she turned around to stare out the window.

"I know they don't give those medals out to just anybody." Lia said speaking to Mac's back as Mac continued to look out the window.

"When you hold off six hundred and eighty North Koreans in order to rescue a downed airman with nothing but an M-16A2 and ten clips of five point five six: that's conduct above and beyond the call of duty, Lia. This guy is no rear echelon pencil pusher and you recognized the bitterness in his voice? He's been yanked out of line duty and forced into this situation and he isn't liking it one bit." Mac returned philosophically stroking her own chin as she looked out the window. She turned around to face Lia and advised. "You might consider cutting him a bit of slack."

"I'll consider cutting him a bit of slack." Lia replied with no small amount of annoyance "But it doesn't mean I have to like him."

"Well…it's a start." Mac admitted.

_**Red Robin, Falls Church, VA 1225hrs**_

Animal bit into a mushroom white Swiss melt burger. It was delicious and the look on Harm's face was absolutely hysterically funny. After he chewed and swallowed, Animal said. "You still eat grass and shrubs? Harm?"

"Ugh…dead cow? That thing's a heart-attack waiting to happen." Harm replied; his index finger pointing at the burger that Animal was chowing down on.

"But absolutely delicious. So…how's that plate of rabbit food…and croutons. What the hell atrocities did they do to that bread? You could make an absolutely delicious roast beef sandwich and what do they do…cut stale bread into squares?" Animal went off on a humor laced tirade about vegetarians. Harm just rolled his eyes. "So…how's the JAG office treating you?"

"Not bad. I'm enjoying it." Harm said.

"But not as much as you would have if you were still flying?" Animal asked.

"Yeah…but I don't have that any more to fall back on. You remember Gary Hochhausen?" Harm asked Animal.

"Yeah. I hear he got taken down when he cheated on the eye exam, his vision got screwed up to the point where he clipped wires and crashed taking out a mother and son driving on the highway. Some hotshot JAG lawyer took him out." Harm winced as Animal gave a point-by-point rundown on what he knew.

"Yep." Harm said with some pain in his voice. "I was that _hotshot_ JAG lawyer."

"Awwww shit, Harm…" Animal shook his head.

"I had to do what was right and what happened was that civilian mom and kid were killed. If Gary wasn't taken out of the cockpit, there would be no justice for them." Harm stated clearly but his eyes looking at Animal for forgiveness. He hadn't wanted to ground his mentor, but he had to do what was right.

"Well, you did the right thing. God hope that I know when it's time to hang the wings up. But like you, that decision got taken away from me." Animal's tone was bitter, his voice giving Harm clues. "And I thought I was doing the right thing too…the honorable thing."

"Animal, not many of us have the courage to do the right thing…and that's threatening to a lot of people who don't know what it's like to have to take all of one's fears and compartmentalize it to do the job that you have to do." Harm looked down at his plate of salad, his appetite suddenly gone.

"Everybody looks at your wings…and wonders why you're not out there pushing the envelope instead of being stuck at a cushy rear echelon job. Everyone wonders if there's something wrong with you or you had the ultimate gut-check and failed. Or they look at me and wonder if you've just been deified by the High Almighty." Animal replied as he looked down at his ribbon rack on his blues. "It's a crock of shit and you have to make the best of it."

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1255hrs**_

As Animal and Harm returned to the office. AJ Chegwidden called for them to come to his office. When the two officers assembled in the office, AJ turned to them and said. "I hope that your investigation is going smoothly. I hear you're going to be interviewing personnel here for your report."

"Yes, sir." Animal replied calmly knowing that this was a measuring stick by which he was being judged by the admiral. "It was a requirement specifically required by the Chief of Naval Operations."

"So the CNO wasn't liking the noises he heard out of FMO?" AJ asked pointedly.

"That, sir, is above my pay-grade. I'm just here to collect and disseminate information." Animal eyeballed the admiral. This was an unspoken challenge between two warriors: the Navy Cross on Admiral Chegwidden's ribbon rack versus the Medal of Honor on Animal's. Neither officer would give an inch.

"I'm sure…" …_damn the fact that admirals had to salute Medal of Honor recipients._ Thought Admiral Chegwidden as he bit the two words out.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1320hrs**_

Liandra was fuming silently as she looked at the clock ticking towards 1330hrs. The self-important captain wasn't here yet. She wondered just how long he was about to make her wait…when the door opened.

"Lieutenant Commander." The captain's voice said. "Did they not teach you at OCS to stand when a senior officer comes into the room?"

"Yes, sir." LCDR Gracen swore to herself as she picked herself out of the chair into a position of attention in front of her chair. _The damned stuck-up aviator thinks he can sweet-talk me?_

"Be that as it may…" Animal said as he arranged his briefcase and his file in front of him as well as a notepad. "So…Lieutenant Commander, are you happy here at JAG?"

That question threw Lia for a loop. Wasn't it obvious to the captain?

As if he heard the question, the captain narrowed his eyes at her and said. "Appearances can be deceiving, Lieutenant Commander. Sometimes the deepest currents are the strongest…and those currents cannot be detected by those scanning the surface."


	3. Chapter 3

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1330hrs, Boardroom 2**_

Standing outside the door of the boardroom that Animal had entered, for a long moment before heading to their scheduled court sessions, Harm and Mac looked at each other. "Think we need to stand guard out here?" Harm asked flippantly. "Animal might come out of that boardroom shredded into little tiny pieces." Knowing Liandra's temper; that was a distinct possibility.

"Could be an idea." Mac reciprocated with a wry look at the door. "I don't hear any yelling."

"…or screaming." Interjected Harm as he investigated the door. "Well, we'd better get going before Captain Morris starts screaming at us." Mac agreed as she knew exactly just how tolerant Captain Stiles Morris was to those who were tardy to his courtroom.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1330hrs, Boardroom 2**_

"May I ask what that's supposed to mean, sir?" Liandra asked. She wasn't expecting the captain to be almost Confucian in his responses.

"I'm here to test the waters, Lieutenant Commander, to see if there are any riptides of discontent underneath the surface." He paused and looked at her with obsidian eyes. "I need to gauge how the office behaves in order to determine just how cohesive a team they are."

"And I'm supposed to be your stooge? Sir?" Her outrage was obvious…the _sir_ tacked on the end like an afterthought.

"No, you don't have to be." Captain Nakamura responded tapping his pen on the notepad. "You'll just be marked down as uncooperative and that could be a black mark on the next promotion board."

LCDR Gracen stewed for a long moment. "I could just exercise my rights to have a lawyer present, sir." Animal thought that there was a distinct look of hate in her eyes.

"If I'm correct, LCDR Rabb is in court right now and Major Mackenzie is also, so that leaves you with…" he paused for a long moment. "…either Carolyn Imes or Alan Mattoni." Animal said finally, rather pleased that he remembered those names. "Which of them would you want?" he challenged, his voice turning hard.

"I'll take Lieutenant Commander Mattoni, sir." She got up. "You can continue your interview with my lawyer present." Animal's eyes narrowed at her insolence. "…sir." She said as she turned to go. She stormed through the boardroom doors, nearly knocking over an LN3 who was trying to enter the boardroom.

Animal didn't have a reaction to her rudeness and storming out. He just jotted a notation on a pad and then continued on to the next name on the list.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1350hrs**_

Liandra looked like a thundercloud coming back towards her office. LCDR Carolyn Imes looked over at her and asked. "I presume the interview didn't go well?"

"Oh, I'm sure I'm on his shit list." Lia growled, her angry mood not lost on Carolyn. "He thinks he can act like a Mandarin in my presence, pulling out all the stops and trying to get me to stooge on the JAG office." She blustered. "I should just give him the middle finger."

"That might not work out too well in your favor." Imes said with a smile. "He does look like a no-nonsense type of officer."

"What'll he do; write me up for an Article 89 or Article 133?" Lia asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 1730 hrs**_

Animal let the final person in the interviews for the rest of the day go. Gathering his notebook and papers up, he looked up to see Harm. "Hey, shipmate." Harm grinned. "So how did the interviews go?"

"Not too bad. The first one was not good though, she walked out on me. Evidently she thought I was going to try to get her to stooge for the entire office." Harm nodded as Animal said this. Liandra was hot-tempered but her anger usually was a flash-in-the-pan. Never had he seen Liandra so actively dislike someone before.

"Well, wanna get something to eat? It's almost time for us to clear out for the day." Harm turned to Animal and stated. Something that was definitely wanted as Animal's stomach growled out a complaint that it was nearing the end of the Swiss mushroom burger that he had eaten at noon. He nodded and continued stuffing the briefcase with the copious amount of notes that he had made during the course of the interviews. The discussions ran laps through Animal's head as he had asked each member of the JAG unit how they perceived their commanding officer, how they perceived themselves, where did they think that their career was heading and what concessions could be made to assure their happiness in this position or what changes did they feel that they would need in order to be persuaded to re-up if their term of service was drawing to a close. All of these points were considerations that needed to be made if their retention was to be assured. And all of it pointed to how the office was run and how efficiently the JAG office was performing. And that part in parcel was what the office of the Naval Inspector General was supposed to be doing: seeking out the cogs that ran the office and making the office more efficient.

"Sure thing, Harm. My stomach's growling." Animal replied as he finished brushing the rest of the items; pens and other writing utensils as well as a tape recorder into his briefcase and shutting it. Setting the briefcase on its end, he grabbed the handle and hefted it. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Well, I'm heading towards Union Station." Harm stated looking at his watch, then looked over at Animal. "Let's find something to eat around the DC area."

"Alright."

_**JAG Headquarters, Bullpen, Falls Church, VA, 1745 hrs**_

Liandra casually watched Harm and Animal stride through the bullpen on their way out the door as she shook her head.

The interview was not pleasant the second go-around even with Mattoni present. Animal was not enamored of the disrespect shown towards his rank and made Liandra aware of it.

"_Lieutenant Commander, are you aware of the disparity in ranks between yourself and I. You are brushing up against an Article 133. The fact that I choose to make you aware of this is in fact how close you really are to a JAGMAN investigation. Do not allow yourself to slip the bounds of rank structure in order to get your point across. Commander or the next trial we will be attending will be yours." _ His tone had been frosty. _"I could have chosen to convene an Article 133 when you left the room without proper dismissal. The fact that I chose not to do so is the reason why you are still in uniform, Lieutenant Commander! Do you understand me?!"_

Poor Alan Mattoni had been intimidated by the officer sitting across from him and advised her to "follow the rules".

Lia's voice had been equally frosty _"Yes…SIR!" _ It had sounded like _cur_.

Animal was not pleased, nor did the tone of his questioning turn more friendly. The questions ranged from snarky to downright intrusive though he was going directly from the list of approved questions provided to NAVINSGEN investigators.

Liandra supplied clipped barely civil answers to all the questions asked. It was well certain that neither of the two officers liked each other, let alone found anything in common. Liandra thought he was a stuffed shirt enamored of his own aviation prowess; disliking the fact that he was stuck with the _mortals_ and really didn't want to have anything to do with him outside of official channels. At least he would be gone in a few days back to the pencil-pushing idiots that permeated the NAVINSGEN's office who seemed to have nothing better to do than to rile up those who actually did something in the Navy.

Lia returned to her files as she saw the swinging doors close and the receding backs of the two officers as they exited the office. Just thinking about Captain Nakamura rankled her gut so she opted to stick her head back into the case that she was working on.

She was so engrossed into the files that it only seemed like a moment later when Mac stuck her head in her office door. "Hey, Lia, I'm heading out the door. I'm going home, it's been a long day." Mac stated as she looked over at Lia.

"OK, Mac." Lia replied as she looked up from her file. "I'm gonna be a little longer here. This case needs to be resolved in the next week. I'm looking to get a week's leave. Have to head back to Texas for a visit. Haven't seen my mom in ages."

"Well, hopefully it doesn't coincide with Bud and Harriet planning their party for the JAG staff at their apartment." Mac's tone was blasé as she casually looked around Lia's office. Lia's office was spartan except for two pictures on her desk: one of the Siamese cat that she had in her apartment; her pet, the other photo being of her mother. Mac grinned at her friend and left, leaving Lia to think on that and whether or not she could get back from Dallas in enough time to be at the party.

Her father was not around. He had left the family when Lia was a child and her mother raised her from a child as a single mother. It evidently was part of the reason behind the drive that Lia had to succeed. Her mother had wholeheartedly given her support for Liandra joining the Navy and the Judge Advocate General legal program. Lia had originally worked in Public Affairs as an Ensign prior to joining JAG after enrolling in Law School at Harvard. She had to take a leave of absence from the Navy during her schooling. Then she had to apply to JAG in order to receive her commission as a Lieutenant. After working for seven years as a JAG officer, she was a Lieutenant Commander with two years in rank. The JAG position which she entered seven years ago was challenging which she enjoyed. It kept her occupied with the amount of cases that came in that had to be investigated. She was partnered with a lieutenant that she found was exceedingly _by the book_ and that translated into everything that she did when she achieved her lieutenant commander's rank and became lead investigator on cases.

She also saw a young brash Lieutenant come in transferred from line naval aviation after an excruciating ramp-strike accident that cost him his wings. She had seen the Lieutenant paired with Lieutenant JGs Kate Pike and Meg Austin. She also saw him promoted to Lieutenant Commander and be paired with United States Marine Major Sarah Mackenzie whom she considered a friend after they had gotten to know one another. It seemed as though the JAG office was a family and she felt comfortable. The simple fact that NAVINSGEN had sent someone to investigate had threatened the cohesiveness of that family. It had been said that most JAG postings lasted only three years, but hers was going seven and many of the other JAG office personnel had been there just as long or even longer.

So was Captain Nakamura going to split them up and move them to other places? That's what rankled her so badly. She didn't want to leave JAG and move to a Region Legal Services Office. Who knew where they would put her and she didn't want to be stationed half way around the world from her mother.

All the worrying that she was doing wasn't doing favors to her stomach and she decided that she had better make sure that she got herself something to eat. So gathering her things into her briefcase, she got out of her chair, grabbed her combo cap and overcoat, shutting the door to her office, she headed for the exit. As she was exiting she met up with the rear admiral, "Sir!"

"How are you doing this evening, Lieutenant Commander?" AJ asked her pleasantly.

"Fine, sir. I think I'm done for the evening. Headed home and planning on having a relaxing evening." Liandra said as she looked at the admiral.

"Well, enjoy the evening. I'll see you tomorrow." The Admiral stated as Liandra opted for military protocol and waited for the next elevator.

Driving home wasn't bad at nineteen hundred hours at night; the traffic wasn't that bad and she managed to reach home in about twenty minutes from the time she left the JAG office.

_**JAG Headquarters, Bullpen, Falls Church, VA, 0645hrs.**_

Animal pulled his Navy Blue United States Navy Mercury Grand Marquis into the JAG HQ entrance and pulled up to the Marine Gate Guard rolling down his window.

"ID please, sir?" the Marine Gunnery Sergeant said as he extended his left hand for the proffered ID, his right hovering near the butt of the holstered M9 Beretta sidearm. Looking at the ID and at the driver who gave him an amiable grin, he handed the identification back. "Good morning, sir. You're cleared."

"Thank you, Gunny." Animal replied as he pulled forward into the parking lot. He heard another car pull up and looked into the rear-view mirror. It was a cherry-red Corvette and he could see Harm's wide cheerful grin. Animal shook his head as he stepped on the gas easing the Grand Marquis forward. Finding a parking space, Animal parked his car. Getting out of the car, he grinned back at Harm who had by this time found his own place and was grabbing his briefcase from the car. "So…shipmate!" he hailed his old friend. "What brings you in so early?"

"You call this early? A couple more hours and it's practically noon." Harm said. "You weren't this late on the Seahawk." Harm chided his friend.

"Yeah…I guess I've learned to sleep in during my shore assignments. Tough habit to break once it's become ingrained." Animal grabbed his briefcase, shut the trunk of the Grand Marquis and locked the car from his key fob.

_**JAG Headquarters, Bullpen, Falls Church, VA, 0700-0705hrs**_

Harm and Animal entered the JAG office. There were a few officers and enlisted present. Most would be filing in at about this time. Harm knew he had a few minutes before the 0730hrs morning briefing so the two headed to the mess to grab an early morning snack. Grabbing a bran muffin from the rack, he looked at Animal who grabbed a raspberry jelly donut. "It's the last one." He said grinning.

_**JAG Headquarters, Bullpen, Falls Church, VA, 0715hrs**_

The CS3 looked aghast as he looked up at Lieutenant Commander Gracen. "I swear, ma'am, that we did have that raspberry jelly donut for you, ma'am. I know we had it on the rack here waiting for you."

"Well, Culinary Specialist 3rd Class." Lia growled, "It's not here now!"

"Oh, no, ma'am!" the CS3 sagged against the counter. "I remember ten minutes ago a captain swung through the mess-hall for his early snack with Lieutenant Commander Rabb…and… Oh…sh-! Ma'am. I'm so sorry."

"Great, CS3, I get no raspberry jelly donut…is there anything else that can go wrong today? Or should I ask!? You have nothing else in terms of donuts? "

"We do have donuts, ma'am." The CS3 said, sheepishly. "But ma'am…"

"What is it?" Lia snapped absolutely exasperated by this time.

"They're all coconut crème." The CS3 ventured looking extremely nervous.

"I HATE COCONUTS!"


	4. Chapter 4

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA, 0730hrs**_

The officers filed slowly into the boardroom where Rear Admiral upper half AJ Chegwidden was standing waiting. "Good morning sir." They said individually as each officer entered. Each hail was acknowledged by a brusque nod as the admiral looked on with a saturnine stare.

"Be seated." AJ intoned solemnly and Liandra took her seat to the left of the admiral. Harm took a seat opposite her. The rest of the lawyers filled in the seats with the exception of the endmost position opposite the admiral who sat at the head of the table. Animal took that seat as the visiting NAVINSGEN.

"So…Captain Nakamura. What does your report have to say?" AJ grunted as he fixed Animal with an expression filled with antipathy. "Does this mean that this office is required to follow the assignment duration rules?"

"Sir, I have no doubt that most of the attorneys here are some of the best in the business. Needless to say though, sir, you are not doing their careers much of a favor with keeping them assigned in Washington when their talents could be used among the JAG RLSOs However, seeing as how the JAG office runs like a fine-tuned Swiss watch I am recommending that you still have final say of assignment duration. I see no need to stick my nose in any further into affairs at JAG." Animal looked at each of the officers, not smiling. His tone was ominous as he looked over at Liandra then back at AJ. "Though I am less than impressed by certain traits such as insubordination, as far as I've seen the officers under your command are satisfied with the assignments that they are given; that the personnel will stick up for one another and this entire organization at JAG works together as a cohesive team."

"So does that mean that your investigation is finished, sir?" Mac asked. Her voice made it absolutely clear that she was relieved that this NAVINSGEN inspection left the JAG office intact. She wasn't too sure about Captain Nakamura – she would have to ask Harm about him as it was well-evident that Harm had served with this captain.

"It is finished for the foreseeable future, however I certainly hope to be well-clear of any further investigations into the JAG office in the future." Animal stated clearly as he internally hoped that a transfer would come soon but it didn't seem likely until he received his rear admiral rank. He didn't enjoy the staff duty and wished eagerly for the smell of the sea. He was a line-officer through and through and lived for deployments. He especially didn't like going around making enemies with the Judge Advocate General office as he had a fellow friend and former shipmate serving there. "So without further adieu, I will pass this report to the Naval Inspector General. You will receive a ruling on how he perceives this report in a few weeks. Sir." He stated as he locked eyes with AJ.

"Thank you." AJ said.

"By your leave, sir." Animal stated as he locked to attention. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the looks of relief on the faces of the JAG officers and a look of 'Good Riddance' on the face of Lieutenant Commander Liandra Gracen.

"Dismissed, Captain." AJ stated calmly.

_**CNO's Office, Pentagon, Washington DC 1300hrs**_

"Good work, Animal. Chegwidden is very attached to his officers and the good ones he does keep past what would normally be considered a good career plan. Unfortunately, that stymies the upwards progression of an officer's career." Admiral Kasczanowski stated as he looked over Animal's 130 page report on the inner workings of the Judge Advocate General's office. "We will have to look into that. I see you have a friend inside who gave you a hand?"

"Yes, sir." Animal stated quietly as he pondered whether Harm could get into trouble for that or feel that AJ would consider that as a betrayal of trust.

"Well, I also have an insider there. I trust you have heard of Ensign Harriet Beaumont Sims, She just transferred into the JAG office. Well, we're talking with her about joining the Naval Inspector General's office?"

"Is that so, sir." Animal stated. Animal had seen the perky blonde ensign flitting about the office and usually Lieutenant jg Bud Roberts was not far behind.

"Yes, Captain. But we also need a formal JAG liaison officer between their office and ours." Admiral Kasczanowski stated as he looked intently at the report. He read for a few more moments. "I think I've got the officer that could possibly do that role. She is a damned good lawyer and a great top-notch investigator. In fact she has been recommended to the judiciary when she receives her third full stripe." ADM Kasczanowski grinned evilly at Animal. "In fact. In her role, she will spend half her time at JAG, half her time with the Naval Inspector General to ensure that we operate within legal parameters in our investigations. She will report to the JAG Chief of Staff while she is with JAG and she will report to you when she is at the Naval Inspector General's office. The orders have been couriered over to JAG and she will report on Monday."

"Any idea who this officer is, sir?" Animal thought to ask as his mind churned over who could possibly be seconded from JAG to NAVINSGEN.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out, Animal. And I'm sure, she'll keep you on your toes. After all, you two butted heads." Animal's face fell. _Not her…anybody but her… _he thought to himself. She despised his guts. If he ended up with her as the JAG Liaison, he was going to be soooo dead.

_**JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA. 1300 hrs **_

AJ crossed his arms. "This is a JAG liaison trial run. Considering the fact that JAG needs to oversee the mandate of the Naval Inspector General's office to see if they are doing everything legal and above board, I'm sure that this position will be satisfying to you. Lieutenant Commander Gracen."

"Sir? The Naval Inspector General's office?" The look on her face was horrified shock. "They can't be serious." She paused for a moment to study the admiral's look on his face. "Can they?" She asked.

"As serious as any request from the Chief of Naval Operations, Commander." AJ replied. "I understand that you have serious problems with the conduct of the recent Naval Inspector General and I'm sure all of that is personal rather than professional. As far as I've heard from Lieutenant Commander Rabb, everything he did was above board and professional. I certainly do not know where he rubbed you the wrong way, but I'm sure that you need to cut Captain Nakamura some slack. After all, he will be the superior officer that you report to while you are at the Naval Inspector General's office." He barely resisted the urge to laugh as he gazed upon Lia's expression of horror. "Yes, you will be working with Captain Nakamura closely." AJ figured that it was a toss-up of whether she could hold her military bearing or run out of his office screaming.

Her mouth worked soundlessly for a moment in indignant outrage, but stifled her complaints and said nothing but "Yes, sir." _I'm sure Harm had something to do with this. He's soooo dead!_

_**Office of the Naval Inspector General, Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC, Monday, 0730 hrs**_

Knocking on the door of Captain Toshio Nakamura's office, Lieutenant Commander Liandra Gracen looked sourly at the nameplate. Of all the things that were distasteful to her, this was probably the worst. Captain Nakamura was her superior officer and the officer that she had to report to at the Office of the Naval Inspector General. When she was processed in at the front desk, she had to report to him to let him know that she had arrived.

"Enter!" was the barked response to her knock. She wordlessly opened the door, turned to close it and smartly walked to three paces in front of the desk and came to the position of attention. "Sir! Lieutenant Commander Liandra Gracen, Judge Advocate General's office, reporting for duty to the Naval Inspector General's office, sir!" she stated crisply and well within the bounds of respect.

"Very well, Lieutenant Commander. Welcome to the Naval Inspector General's office." There was just calm civility emanating from the captain. "As the Naval Inspector General's chief of staff, I will be your reporting officer." Captain Nakamura continued. "Anything to do with the Naval Inspector General's office will be run through me and the Naval Inspector General Vice-Admiral James E. Bennett. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Lia stated, her countenance impassive.

"Now…to personal matters." Animal said, his eyes not betraying any hint of trepidation. "You and I butted heads during the NAVINSGEN investigation at JAG. I trust that there will be more cooperation coming while you are under my command?"

"Yes, sir." Lia nodded, her response carefully weighed to not show any displeasure at this turn of events. "Sir…the only thing that I ask, sir…is that the mess has plenty of raspberry filled donuts, sir!" She looked smug as she gauged his reaction to her statement.

Animal winced to her satisfaction. He knew exactly what incident she was referring to. "I will make our culinary specialist aware of your requirements. Lieutenant Commander."

"Thank you, sir." Lia stated. "If I may ask, what exactly are my duties here."

"Well, Lieutenant Commander Gracen, your duties are to ascertain the legal boundaries of the methods that we utilize to carry out our investigations. In that regards, we do not wish to overstep our authority - in doing so, with the benefit of a Judge Advocate General liaison, we establish and fine-tune the operating procedures in such a way that we do not overstep those bounds. I believe that this is something that you are well-capable of doing and would help the Office of the Naval Inspector General greatly." Animal stated quietly as he looked at the naval officer standing in front of his desk.

"I appreciate the trust that the Office of the Naval Inspector General has in me." Lia admitted. "I will endeavor to do the best that I can to meet those expectations while I am assigned here."

"That's all that we expect. Lieutenant Commander." Animal replied. "Now, I'm sure that you are eager to get on with the assignment so, I will let you get to it. Dismissed. Commander."

"Yes. Sir!" Lia braced to attention, paused for a moment, then about-faced and marched smartly to the door to open it and exit.

_That wasn't so bad._ Lia said to herself as she exited the door and closed it behind her. _He actually seemed human this time around_. The rest of the week seemed to fly by as she settled herself in the JAG Liaison role. Before she knew it, it was Friday afternoon as she got together her briefcase. The following week she would be at JAG finishing up some cases that were going to trial so the weekend would be busy. She was hoping that with the new assignment at NAVINSGEN, that she would be still able to take the week off that she was planning the following month. And just as it would have it, the week fell in during the time that she was at NAVINSGEN so she would have to put in to the Chief of Staff at NAVINSGEN for that week off.

If anything, Captain Nakamura seemed a lot more approachable at the Office of the Naval Inspector General. He wasn't in his grouchy persona and seemed more human to her than he was during the course of the NAVINSGEN investigation of the Judge Advocate General's office. Of course he was busy with what he did and his answers to her questions regarding what was needed were cursory and brief but he wasn't rude either. When she went into his office, she would gaze around. There was a model of his F-14A Tomcat in VF-41 Black Aces livery. Sitting beside it were a couple of "Remove Before Flight" tags. His flight helmet with MBU-14/P oxygen mask was on the shelf. There was a picture frame shadow box with the squadron patches of the squadrons he had served with that used to be on his flight suit arrayed neatly displayed on the wall behind his desk. Also displayed on the bookshelves were also photos, neatly in frames, of him and his squadron-mates. Startling her was a photo of Harm and Animal hanging out on the airframe of a Howler's F-14A Tomcat and the startled expression in her countenance must have made the captain notice because he explained the events behind the photo that surprised her.

"_We served together" he had said. "It was Harm's first deployment, my second and it just so happened that we both ended up on the Seahawk. It was just before Desert Storm. I trained him on the F-14A Tomcat and President George H.W. sent us out to Kuwait onboard the USS Seahawk. The one thing about knowing that you're going to war is that you have to come to terms with the fact that you may not come back. That's what both Harm and I had to wrestle with. It's different from the operational losses that you have during deployments. Operational losses are a matter of error or mechanical malfunction resulting from human error or material wear and tear. War usually means that you're getting shot at and if the guy on the other side gets lucky, he gets to go home and you don't." _

"_That's a pragmatic way of looking at it, sir." Lia had replied looking at him._

"_You have to." Captain Nakamura stated. "You have to compartmentalize your fears and do the job that you're ordered to do." He smiled wryly. "Following orders." _

_He is human_. Lia had thought back then and still did at the end of the week. Her view of him was gradually changing. But she was still wary of the fact that she felt he was the Naval Inspector General's top _henchman_. And that she was a Judge Advocate General officer and that was where her first loyalties were. But at least she didn't consider him as the devil any more. He was an officer that was doing a tough assignment under conditions that were not to his liking. She now understood more about why he wanted to get back to the front lines.

"Good evening. Lieutenant Commander. I'm going to be heading out." Animal stated as he headed for the door, briefcase in hand.

"Evening, sir." Liandra said as she looked over at her commanding officer at NAVINSGEN. "Sir, if I may request, sir."

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander." Animal waited as Lia got together the courage to ask.

"I haven't seen my mother for almost six months and I have three weeks of leave on the books. I was wondering if I may take one week and go down and see my mother."

"Of course. Lieutenant Commander. You may do that. I'll put in the necessary paperwork for that and have it ready. What are the dates that you wish to take leave."

"Sir. March 16 to the 22 if that is possible." Lia was surprised that Captain Nakamura was so amenable to her request.

"Not a problem at all, Lieutenant Commander Gracen." Animal looked at her. "I'm sure that we can accommodate that. If you can please notify Ensign Sims that you will be taking that week off and have her liaise with JAG so that there is always someone that can answer our questions when we phone JAG for answers."

"Yes, sir!" Lia stated; happy that she would be getting the leave time to go see her mother. "Thank you, sir."

"Again, not a problem, Lieutenant Commander. Please make sure though that everything is up to date before you clock out the Friday before you leave."

"Aye-aye, sir."

"Good night, Lieutenant Commander." Animal said as he nodded to Lieutenant Commander Gracen and headed for the exit.

As the elevator door closed, blocking him from view, Liandra sighed a deep sigh of relief. _He is human after all and this might not be so bad of an assignment. We'll see though. _

Picking up the telephone, she dialed Harm at JAG wondering if he was still there. When surprise, he picked up the phone, Lia asked. "Hey. Harm, you and Mac up for dinner at my place?"

"Mac's busy. Evidently she met a lawyer. Lowell, Hanson and Lowne. But I'd be interested. So should I bring anything by?" Harm's voice was jovial. "How's working with Animal?"

"Interesting." Was all Lia stated. "I'll tell you more later."


End file.
